These geckos crash-land on rainforest trees but don't fall, thanks to their tails
A gecko's tail is a wondrous and versatile thing.
A gecko's tail is a wondrous and versatile thing.
Plants & Animals
Sep 2, 2021
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143
Geckos are renowned for their acrobatic feats on land and in the air, but a new discovery that they can also run on water puts them in the superhero category, says a University of California, Berkeley, biologist.
Plants & Animals
Dec 6, 2018
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386
Many geckos inhabit trees, often living high in the canopy. Relying on their incredible adhesive strength to help them break their fall, they jump from trees, and land on either leaves or relatively smooth tree trunks. How ...
Materials Science
Jun 27, 2017
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98
Latest research reveals why geckos are the largest animals able to scale smooth vertical walls - even larger climbers would require unmanageably large sticky footpads. Scientists estimate that a human would need adhesive ...
Evolution
Jan 18, 2016
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1617
Picking things up and putting them down is a mainstay of any kind of manufacturing, but fingers, human or robotic, are not always best for the task at hand.
General Physics
Jun 15, 2015
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1174
A small team of researchers with members from institutions in Australia and the U.K. has found that in addition to being able to walk on walls, at last one type of gecko has a skin feature that causes water to be thrown off ...
(Phys.org) —The ability to stick objects to a wide range of surfaces such as drywall, wood, metal and glass with a single adhesive has been the elusive goal of many research teams across the world, but now a team of University ...
Materials Science
Apr 18, 2014
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2
(Phys.org)—A small African mammal with an unusual ability to regrow damaged tissues could inspire new research in regenerative medicine, a University of Florida study finds.
Plants & Animals
Sep 26, 2012
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0
(PhysOrg.com) -- The science behind gecko toes holds the answer to a dry adhesive that provides an ideal grip for robot feet. Stanford mechanical engineer Mark Cutkosky is using the new material, based on the structure of ...
Engineering
Aug 24, 2010
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0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Watch a gecko walk up a wall. It defies gravity as it sticks to the surface no matter how smooth it appears to be.
Nanomaterials
Jan 22, 2010
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0
Aeluroscalabotinae Eublepharinae Gekkoninae Teratoscincinae Diplodactylinae
Geckos are small to average sized lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae, found in warm climates throughout the world. Geckos are unique among lizards in their vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. An estimated 2,000 different species of geckos exist worldwide, with many likely yet to be discovered. The name stems from the Indonesian/Javanese word Tokek, inspired by the sound these animals make. The Malay word for gecko is cicak.
All geckos, excluding the Eublepharinae family, have no eyelids and instead have a transparent membrane which they lick to clean. Many species will, in defense, expel a foul-smelling material and feces onto their aggressors. There are also many species that will drop their tails in defense, a process called autotomy. Many species are well known for their specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth and vertical surfaces, and even cross indoor ceilings with ease (it is believed that the van der Waal's force may contribute to this capability). These antics are well-known to people who live in warm regions of the world, where several species of geckos make their home inside human habitations. These species (for example the House Gecko) become part of the indoor menagerie and are often welcome guests, as they feed on insects, including mosquitoes.
The largest species, Delcourt's gecko, is only known from a single, stuffed specimen found in the basement of a museum in Marseille, France. This gecko was 60 cm long and it was native to New Zealand. It was probably wiped out along with much of the native fauna of these islands at the end of the 19th century, when new predators were introduced there. The smallest gecko, the Jaragua Sphaero, is a mere 16 mm long and was discovered in 2001 on a small island off the coast of the Dominican Republic.
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